(I'll get to my response to your thoughts in a second, migs - fascinating thread as usual, boys, everybody's making valid points, but first:)

With the sale of the Memphis Grizzlies awaiting confirmation from the league, the time to get Rudy Gay is now. You'll have to give up a package that Memphis would use in a meaningful way, but he is available for purchase starting draft night. New regimes ALWAYS want to bring in their own guys; coaches, GM's, and stars. If Robert Para is anything like Joe Lacob, he'll wait to see if someone like Drummond, Barnes, or Sullinger is on the board at #7, then accept him packaged with Klay Thompson, Andris Biedrins, and Dorell Wright for Rudy Gay and whatever trashy, redundant 2nd rounder they wanna let us cut 6 weeks into the season. Biedrins is a fixed $9 million per, doesn't increase, it's a measly complaint that Memphis won't dare bitch about cause we are accepting Rudy Gay and his Halliburton contract. We do it because Gay gives us back a Monta Ellis level scorer, with plus size and better all-around game due to his length. We bite the bullet on Klay Thompson and the #7 pick and declare ourselves a WIN-NOW squad. Lee, Bogut, Gay... They're all heading straight into their prime and Curry is the young legs with an old soul type of game that just orchestrates the lineup like a lifelong maestro. I'll say it again: 3 years ago, Rudy Gay, David Lee, Andrew Bogut, and Steph Curry were the 4 best players in 4 different cities. Make this happen, and you can take contendership to the bank for a window of at least 4 years... And at most, a very long time.

What I had written got deleted cause I timed out, but briefly to simplify what I had typed.

1. This team lacks athleticism and defensive aggressiveness, our starting 5 outside of Bogut could probably be labeled the softest.

2. So this means plug an athletic 3 that can play defense well, (Iggy)

3. Also need a play maker at the 3, Klay is a shooter and is improving but he is not much of a playmaker, when the shooting guard lacks that skill it is vital that it is made up by another starter, in this case Iggy again. This drops Josh smith out of contention since he is not a play maker. Don't get me wrong I would mind Josh Smith but I am keeping things tight for what is best suited for the team.

4. Look at the Thunder as the prime example of a balanced team, now while Westbrook and Durant are really special players and cannot be duplicated, his surrounding cast screams balance. Athletic, skilled, with defensive specailist to balance the scoring, a front court that is solid and protects the rim, a bench with another star coming from it, and the rest of the team are fillers.

5. If the warriors get Iggy they are getting closer to completing this well rounded team, I wouldn't mind Gay either but Iggy is the best fit, and the best time to get him is now, entice the sixers with that 7th pick, they might want Klay as well, but I would only do 7th pick and Jefferson.

For one, I'm not convinced David Lee is a downgrade from Josh Smith. All the contenders have a rebounding 4 with a midrange J; Lee stacks up better against the likes of Gasol, Garnett, Bosh, Stoudamire, etc. I agree; if potential and style points were all that mattered, JSmoove would be the GOAT. But as it stands, he's a motivational head case that can't shoot his way out of a paper bag. To top it off, Smith gets fantasy gold, but can you name me a game that mattered where he shut down the opposing 4? He's no Garnett, no Ibaka, no Duncan. He doesn't play suffocating on-ball man-to-man defense; he's a wizard on the help side and he's athletic enough to recover even after he's beat, but I'm not convinced Josh Smith is the show-stopping defensive player you're advertising him to be. If he's such a great find, why has Atlanta been testing his trade value for going on 3 years in a row?

It's obvious, Lee is above average, but if you watch him, he really doesn't make the team that much better. I give credit to him for continuing to plug away and take to his strengths, even though his style of play is not that exciting to me. Lee is good only at one end, awful defensively, right there JSmith, who plays both ends, is an upgrade. JSmith, seems oblivious to the Atlanta FO, was the best player on a team that made the playoffs with only two good player, along with JJohnson, and with their good Center (Horford) injured almost the whole season. That's a great player. He elevated his numbers and his performance this season and in reality, he is worth quite a bit more than Lee, but looks gettable since he hasn't again been offered an extension, that ought to really tick him off, and has been shopped for a few years now. That's why I'd offer Lee and the #30, add one of the 2nd rounders. Lee has played Center before, though not on winning team, but hey, he hasn't ever played on a winning team . Him and Horford are interchangeable and could fit well.

#1, we disagree entirely on David Lee's ability to make a team better. I think you're looking at easily 5-10 fewer wins last year if David Lee isn't on this team. That's just real talk. After Monta was dealt, this team looked confused on offense. I feel as though you're glossing that over with the attitude that the offense will just figure itself out and maybe that would have been true in the days of Nellieball, but as it stands, this team needs a legitimate option on the low block and Lee is that guy. Bogut can't carry an offense, Thompson is going to be a sophomore, and Curry will be hobbled with limited minutes to start the year. David Lee is this team's BIGGEST (and most valuable piece) on offense.

#2, you're right. David Lee can't play defense. Neither can Steve Nash, A'Mare Stoudamire, Dirk Nowitski, Kevin Love, or Zach Randolph. At the NBA level, if you play 35+ minutes a night and you can't stop your opposite number, you have to be dominant in other areas. Lee is the best low block scorer, rebounder, and passing big man this team has had since Webber. Defense or not, he's a huge asset.

#3, Josh Smith finished this season 10th in DPoY voting with 9 points. The winner, Tyson Chandler, had 311 total votes. If Smith is so dominant on defense, why isn't he regarded as a stopper? Doesn't he strike you as a guy that leaps at weak side highlight blocks and nothing else?

#4, the Hawks made the playoffs (1) because the East is weak and (2) because of Joe Johnson. Saying Josh Smith dragged the Hawks to the playoffs is like saying Pau Gasol dragged the Lakers to the playoffs; you're overlooking the best player in Atlanta.

Crashing glass? LeeOffensive rebounding? LeePassing from the block? LeePassing off the dribble? Smith

Staying in front of their man? SmithWeak side swats? SmithTaking charges? LeeBeing duped into early foul trouble? Smith

Athleticism? SmithSkill? LeeAttitude? LeeMotivation? Lee

I literally don't understand how you can credit Smith for so much? He's EXACTLY what local detractors CLAIM David Lee is; a stat-stuffer interested in his fantasy numbers more than team W's. Why we would make this swap is beyond me. It'd make sense when Monta was here, but now? It's redundant. We already have Bogut to block shots and sweep up the boards that Lee misses.

Well firstly, Lee has yet in his career to show he can be on a winning team, that's a big factor. JSmith has been on a winning Hawks team for years. This season, he was the best player on that Hawks team. JJohnson scores and that's it and both scored 18.8 a game this season with very simliar FG%, JJ 45.4, JSmith 45.8. Both avraged 3.9 assists a game this season in the same minutes as well to note. JSmith does alot more than JJ everywhere else except shoot threes. 9.6rebs, 1.4stls, 1.7blks, those are among the league leaders and among the top at PF. JSmit was the best player for the Hawks and JJohnson was the only other good player for them this season and they won quite alot, most of that attributed to JSmith. Him not getting allstar was ridiculous and many people agreed.

I agree that JSmith is more of a weak side defender, but the guy defends well one on one, he has been for years. The DOY voting this year was pretty awful this season, that's why TChandler wasn't voted to the All-Defensive 1st team, Dwight was. JSmith is much better defensively than those votes give him credit for.

Sorry man, but I don't see how you can say JSmith taking the Hawks to the playoffs is like saying PGasol took the Lakers to the playoffs. PGasol is now the third best player on that Lakers team, JSmith is the best on the Hawks.

As for comparing the two, Lee and JSmith, I don't agree, but with some things I do.

I don't think Lee has good post moves, some he does, but he is a very pick and roll player, that's where he does well. His jump shot, from what I've seen the last couple of years, is not that great at all, pretty good, but no great weapon and skill of his. You guys see him much more, so correct me if I'm wrong. JSmith isn't a great shooter himself, but he is alright and scores around the hoop well. I just look at the fact that JSmith scored so well this season being the #1 player on the Hawks and they won many games, Lee scored well, but the Warriors didn't win games. Sure, Lee had relative garbage around him, that's for sure, after Monta was traded that is, because Monta is more of a scorer than JJohnson now, but Curry was out a fair bit and Klay scored, so yea, somewhat comparable to Atlanta this season. Last season however, Lee had not many good scorers around him, but enough so he wasn't getting alot of defensive attention. Monta and Curry are better scorers than JJ and whoever you want to pick as the Hawks #3 scorer. That's where I give JSmith credit, he was the leading scorer on his weak team and they made the playoffs.

Rebounding I'm just not impressed with Lee, not that impressed with JSmith either, but it looked like Lee was going to be a monster rebounder on the warriors and he has been good, but not great. He is likely never going to bad a lackluster rebounder though, whereas JSmith rebounded real well this season, but it was his best rebounding season in his career. Lee is the better rebounder, but it's not by a big amount.

Again I say defense is the big thing and it is. Bogut will improve the defense of the team by a fair bit, but he can't do it alone. I can't see Lee, Curry and Klay becoming good defensively players any time soon, if ever, so the team will never be a very good defensive team as it is. You need at least three good defenders out there on the court and JSmith is a very good one. That'd give two very good defenders and at the bigs spots. That's why if the team can get both JSmith and Iguodala it'd transition the team from bad defensively to very good.

Both are good players, there's no right answer. It comes back to our Garnett-vs-Malone discussion.

Lee is the Karl Malone type. He's a nasty, elbows-first rebounder, pops the midrange, loves the pick-and-roll (as you rightfully stated), the kind of player that could churn out a 20-and-10 game in his sleep.

Smith is a Garnett hybrid forward; the skills of a 3 with the size of a 4. A defensive asset that literally scares the opposing team when they bring it inside. His jumper is temperamental but when it falls, Smith looks like Garnett of '03; MVP-caliber, unstoppable all around game.

One is consistency, the other is good with the interstellar potential to be the best. In my opinion, with the question marks surrounding Curry and Bogut's health, the adjustment defenses have made to Klay Thompson, and the ever-evolving flux of this team's remaining roster, my vote is for the consistency of Lee. Sure, he won't be anybody's first round pick in fantasy basketball like Smith, he isn't a 5 category guy, and his ceiling may be slightly lower... But there's something to be said for consistency. I'd way rather put my nuts on the table knowing a sure-thing like Lee is out there. Smith can leave a building with 20, 12, 8, 3, and 2... But he's just as likely to leave shooting 5-of-23. When was the last time David Lee was fully healthy and got you less than 15 and 8?

For one, I'm not convinced David Lee is a downgrade from Josh Smith. All the contenders have a rebounding 4 with a midrange J; Lee stacks up better against the likes of Gasol, Garnett, Bosh, Stoudamire, etc. I agree; if potential and style points were all that mattered, JSmoove would be the GOAT. But as it stands, he's a motivational head case that can't shoot his way out of a paper bag. To top it off, Smith gets fantasy gold, but can you name me a game that mattered where he shut down the opposing 4? He's no Garnett, no Ibaka, no Duncan. He doesn't play suffocating on-ball man-to-man defense; he's a wizard on the help side and he's athletic enough to recover even after he's beat, but I'm not convinced Josh Smith is the show-stopping defensive player you're advertising him to be. If he's such a great find, why has Atlanta been testing his trade value for going on 3 years in a row?

It's obvious, Lee is above average, but if you watch him, he really doesn't make the team that much better. I give credit to him for continuing to plug away and take to his strengths, even though his style of play is not that exciting to me. Lee is good only at one end, awful defensively, right there JSmith, who plays both ends, is an upgrade. JSmith, seems oblivious to the Atlanta FO, was the best player on a team that made the playoffs with only two good player, along with JJohnson, and with their good Center (Horford) injured almost the whole season. That's a great player. He elevated his numbers and his performance this season and in reality, he is worth quite a bit more than Lee, but looks gettable since he hasn't again been offered an extension, that ought to really tick him off, and has been shopped for a few years now. That's why I'd offer Lee and the #30, add one of the 2nd rounders. Lee has played Center before, though not on winning team, but hey, he hasn't ever played on a winning team . Him and Horford are interchangeable and could fit well.

#1, we disagree entirely on David Lee's ability to make a team better. I think you're looking at easily 5-10 fewer wins last year if David Lee isn't on this team. That's just real talk. After Monta was dealt, this team looked confused on offense. I feel as though you're glossing that over with the attitude that the offense will just figure itself out and maybe that would have been true in the days of Nellieball, but as it stands, this team needs a legitimate option on the low block and Lee is that guy. Bogut can't carry an offense, Thompson is going to be a sophomore, and Curry will be hobbled with limited minutes to start the year. David Lee is this team's BIGGEST (and most valuable piece) on offense.

#2, you're right. David Lee can't play defense. Neither can Steve Nash, A'Mare Stoudamire, Dirk Nowitski, Kevin Love, or Zach Randolph. At the NBA level, if you play 35+ minutes a night and you can't stop your opposite number, you have to be dominant in other areas. Lee is the best low block scorer, rebounder, and passing big man this team has had since Webber. Defense or not, he's a huge asset.

#3, Josh Smith finished this season 10th in DPoY voting with 9 points. The winner, Tyson Chandler, had 311 total votes. If Smith is so dominant on defense, why isn't he regarded as a stopper? Doesn't he strike you as a guy that leaps at weak side highlight blocks and nothing else?

#4, the Hawks made the playoffs (1) because the East is weak and (2) because of Joe Johnson. Saying Josh Smith dragged the Hawks to the playoffs is like saying Pau Gasol dragged the Lakers to the playoffs; you're overlooking the best player in Atlanta.

Crashing glass? LeeOffensive rebounding? LeePassing from the block? LeePassing off the dribble? Smith

Staying in front of their man? SmithWeak side swats? SmithTaking charges? LeeBeing duped into early foul trouble? Smith

Athleticism? SmithSkill? LeeAttitude? LeeMotivation? Lee

I literally don't understand how you can credit Smith for so much? He's EXACTLY what local detractors CLAIM David Lee is; a stat-stuffer interested in his fantasy numbers more than team W's. Why we would make this swap is beyond me. It'd make sense when Monta was here, but now? It's redundant. We already have Bogut to block shots and sweep up the boards that Lee misses.

Well firstly, Lee has yet in his career to show he can be on a winning team, that's a big factor. JSmith has been on a winning Hawks team for years. This season, he was the best player on that Hawks team. JJohnson scores and that's it and both scored 18.8 a game this season with very simliar FG%, JJ 45.4, JSmith 45.8. Both avraged 3.9 assists a game this season in the same minutes as well to note. JSmith does alot more than JJ everywhere else except shoot threes. 9.6rebs, 1.4stls, 1.7blks, those are among the league leaders and among the top at PF. JSmit was the best player for the Hawks and JJohnson was the only other good player for them this season and they won quite alot, most of that attributed to JSmith. Him not getting allstar was ridiculous and many people agreed.

I agree that JSmith is more of a weak side defender, but the guy defends well one on one, he has been for years. The DOY voting this year was pretty awful this season, that's why TChandler wasn't voted to the All-Defensive 1st team, Dwight was. JSmith is much better defensively than those votes give him credit for.

Sorry man, but I don't see how you can say JSmith taking the Hawks to the playoffs is like saying PGasol took the Lakers to the playoffs. PGasol is now the third best player on that Lakers team, JSmith is the best on the Hawks.

As for comparing the two, Lee and JSmith, I don't agree, but with some things I do.

I don't think Lee has good post moves, some he does, but he is a very pick and roll player, that's where he does well. His jump shot, from what I've seen the last couple of years, is not that great at all, pretty good, but no great weapon and skill of his. You guys see him much more, so correct me if I'm wrong. JSmith isn't a great shooter himself, but he is alright and scores around the hoop well. I just look at the fact that JSmith scored so well this season being the #1 player on the Hawks and they won many games, Lee scored well, but the Warriors didn't win games. Sure, Lee had relative garbage around him, that's for sure, after Monta was traded that is, because Monta is more of a scorer than JJohnson now, but Curry was out a fair bit and Klay scored, so yea, somewhat comparable to Atlanta this season. Last season however, Lee had not many good scorers around him, but enough so he wasn't getting alot of defensive attention. Monta and Curry are better scorers than JJ and whoever you want to pick as the Hawks #3 scorer. That's where I give JSmith credit, he was the leading scorer on his weak team and they made the playoffs.

Rebounding I'm just not impressed with Lee, not that impressed with JSmith either, but it looked like Lee was going to be a monster rebounder on the warriors and he has been good, but not great. He is likely never going to bad a lackluster rebounder though, whereas JSmith rebounded real well this season, but it was his best rebounding season in his career. Lee is the better rebounder, but it's not by a big amount.

Again I say defense is the big thing and it is. Bogut will improve the defense of the team by a fair bit, but he can't do it alone. I can't see Lee, Curry and Klay becoming good defensively players any time soon, if ever, so the team will never be a very good defensive team as it is. You need at least three good defenders out there on the court and JSmith is a very good one. That'd give two very good defenders and at the bigs spots. That's why if the team can get both JSmith and Iguodala it'd transition the team from bad defensively to very good.

Both are good players, there's no right answer. It comes back to our Garnett-vs-Malone discussion.

Lee is the Karl Malone type. He's a nasty, elbows-first rebounder, pops the midrange, loves the pick-and-roll (as you rightfully stated), the kind of player that could churn out a 20-and-10 game in his sleep.

Smith is a Garnett hybrid forward; the skills of a 3 with the size of a 4. A defensive asset that literally scares the opposing team when they bring it inside. His jumper is temperamental but when it falls, Smith looks like Garnett of '03; MVP-caliber, unstoppable all around game.

One is consistency, the other is good with the interstellar potential to be the best. In my opinion, with the question marks surrounding Curry and Bogut's health, the adjustment defenses have made to Klay Thompson, and the ever-evolving flux of this team's remaining roster, my vote is for the consistency of Lee. Sure, he won't be anybody's first round pick in fantasy basketball like Smith, he isn't a 5 category guy, and his ceiling may be slightly lower... But there's something to be said for consistency. I'd way rather put my nuts on the table knowing a sure-thing like Lee is out there. Smith can leave a building with 20, 12, 8, 3, and 2... But he's just as likely to leave shooting 5-of-23. When was the last time David Lee was fully healthy and got you less than 15 and 8?

Well my point is more the defense that JSmith plays more than anything else. If Bogut did get injured, the team would be left with a major decrease defensively. JSmith would soften such lost time to Bogut because he plays the defense.

Lee is a very good PF, not doubt about that and I'd be surprised if the FO even had a thought of trading Lee for JSmith. Still, to me it'd be a improvement, if only just a bit.

Is there any chance or how realistic is it we get one of those SF's - Iggy, J Smith, Gay, etc -- while keeping the base 4 players? I think there is if they get creative with the 7th and 30th in a good draft. The leverage seems to be on the Warriors side because it's a good time to pluck one of those SF's, who's names on the trading block never seems to go away.

The Lee vs Smith... one thing that's pro-Lee is the continuity thing. With injuries and trades, this team hasn't played together at all as a full team yet, so having some consistency and mainstays like Lee and Curry is important to have. At some point gotta roll that full lineup out there and give 'em a chance to see what the team has. Lee showed he can be counted on for PIP, 20 & 10's, and shouldering the load.

Disagree on Klay not being a playmaker or at least having that ability as part of his game. When it was him + Lee and a bunch of rookies post-Monta, he was the guy who handled the rock a lot and made plays for himself and others. His game actually reminds me of Paul Pierce a little bit. His decision making was actually pretty vet-like and showed maturity as a rookie. Foolish to trade a ROY candidate who exceeded all expectations And the 7th with the potential that holds, for a 2nd option type of player with a huge contract. I'm a fan of any trade or scenario that either gets a superstar, NBA-ready prospect (I do think Barnes qualifies), or ADDS to the existing 4 -- so 5 very good starters or trade some starters + 7th for a real game changing superstar.

Our main asset right now not including the starting 5 is our draft, but am not sure that will be enough to entice a trade with another team in trading for Iggy, Gay, or Smith. Most teams also want cap space relief and we dont offer it with Bean and Jefferson both on salary for the next 2 years, estimating that is about 19 mill each year. When we did the trade for Monta and received SJAx this coming year would have been his last year on contract. So as we sit it will be hard to pull a trade including draft picks without expires unless the teams we trade with see alot of value in this draft and then their is a possibility of trading.

If Klay is a play maker then that can't be a bad for his overall game, my issue is he will given a role which dictates him to get open, since he is an assassin with the ball. With his energy spent doing that it will wise to find some else who is dedicated to slashing, driving, dropping dimes, creating, I mean a different set of role, that's where I think Iggy comes in. I read somewhere the warriors are going try and limit Curry's PG position to about 28 minutes a game due to the recurring injury not to over stress, and the remaining minutes play him at the 2. So in this case Iggy could play the point forward, while Curry is still in the game so we don't go small.

With his contract David Lee will not be going anywhere for some time, there are just too many years and teams nowadays want cap flexibility. Still I am a Lee fan, hope for more post up consistency, the ability to do work in the post and not get pushed around. He has been getting his points from mid-range and hustle, need to see more solid post moves from Lee.

rockyBeli wrote:Is there any chance or how realistic is it we get one of those SF's - Iggy, J Smith, Gay, etc -- while keeping the base 4 players? I think there is if they get creative with the 7th and 30th in a good draft. The leverage seems to be on the Warriors side because it's a good time to pluck one of those SF's, who's names on the trading block never seems to go away.

That all depends on who the Warriors go after. Josh Smith and Rudy Gay would both certainly cost one or more of our big 4. Andre Iguodala, on the other hand, might be available via a salary dump. You'd have to move some cash around and surrender a couple nice assets: namely, a few of our picks (including the 7th overall), a resigned Brandon Rush, and like the salary of Andris Biedrins to push the deal through.

rockyBeli wrote:The Lee vs Smith... one thing that's pro-Lee is the continuity thing. With injuries and trades, this team hasn't played together at all as a full team yet, so having some consistency and mainstays like Lee and Curry is important to have. At some point gotta roll that full lineup out there and give 'em a chance to see what the team has. Lee showed he can be counted on for PIP, 20 & 10's, and shouldering the load.

Agreed. I want to see Bogut and Lee play together before we even consider trading our twin towers.

rockyBeli wrote:Disagree on Klay not being a playmaker or at least having that ability as part of his game. When it was him + Lee and a bunch of rookies post-Monta, he was the guy who handled the rock a lot and made plays for himself and others. His game actually reminds me of Paul Pierce a little bit. His decision making was actually pretty vet-like and showed maturity as a rookie. Foolish to trade a ROY candidate who exceeded all expectations And the 7th with the potential that holds, for a 2nd option type of player with a huge contract. I'm a fan of any trade or scenario that either gets a superstar, NBA-ready prospect (I do think Barnes qualifies), or ADDS to the existing 4 -- so 5 very good starters or trade some starters + 7th for a real game changing superstar.

Look, I'm totally in agreement that Klay Thompson is a keeper. But the level of play we can expect out of him should not exceed a 3rd option. He played well all year, but his percentages shot into the ground after Lee was shut down. I think Klay is like Monta Ellis: sure, he's CAPABLE of being a sloppy #1 option, but he is best suited and least exposed in a secondary role behind a real leader. Thompson is versatile enough to get by, but let's not kid ourselves: he's not Iggy-versatile, he's Dunleavy-versatile. Little bit of handles, little bit of boards, good without the ball, nuts-on range outside. Don't wear out his novelty; use him enough to maximize his output at its most efficient. With Curry back, we don't need him to handle the ball nearly as much. Keep it as his secret weapon instead of demanding it out of him too often. That's exactly how this fan base tired of Mike Dunleavy: by demanding 17, 8, and 5 out of a guy who probably is only capable of 13, 6, and 4. Let Klay be the latter. We don't need him to put up LBJ numbers across the board.

32 wrote:Look, I'm totally in agreement that Klay Thompson is a keeper. But the level of play we can expect out of him should not exceed a 3rd option. He played well all year, but his percentages shot into the ground after Lee was shut down. I think Klay is like Monta Ellis: sure, he's CAPABLE of being a sloppy #1 option, but he is best suited and least exposed in a secondary role behind a real leader. Thompson is versatile enough to get by, but let's not kid ourselves: he's not Iggy-versatile, he's Dunleavy-versatile. Little bit of handles, little bit of boards, good without the ball, nuts-on range outside. Don't wear out his novelty; use him enough to maximize his output at its most efficient. With Curry back, we don't need him to handle the ball nearly as much. Keep it as his secret weapon instead of demanding it out of him too often. That's exactly how this fan base tired of Mike Dunleavy: by demanding 17, 8, and 5 out of a guy who probably is only capable of 13, 6, and 4. Let Klay be the latter. We don't need him to put up LBJ numbers across the board.

Yeah I'm not saying hand him the keys, just that his 'deficiencies' are exaggerated...probably stemming more from scouting report than actual gameplay. Can't defend, only a spot up shooter, can't rebound, etc. That's not what I saw, maybe I'm biased. His fg% went slightly down probably because he was playing with a bunch of rooks and 3 starters out, so the defense could just focus on him.

3rd option sounds about right - not bad, that's what James Harden is. Klay will probably even be 4th on nights that Bogut's got it going, or 2nd option when the other players are struggling. That's one of the things I love about this new team. A lot of scorers and options on any given night and yet better D, size, and better passers. Will be happy if Klay turns out nothing like Ellis or Dunleavy

Bogut, for all his pluses, is not an offensive option. He's a finisher and an excellent passing center, but too often will he pass outta the block and play a bit passively. That was one of the Bucks biggest gripes; that he wasn't selfish enough.